


Ultimatum

by Primarina (PastelBrachypelma)



Series: Little bit of Caregiving [4]
Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Age Play, Caregiver/little, Caretaking, Comfort Food, Fluff and Angst, Food, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, littlespace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 10:30:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13762230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PastelBrachypelma/pseuds/Primarina
Summary: “Can I take care of you tonight?” Arin asked, inches from Dan’s lips. “I…I just need to know you’re here, with me.” His soft brown eyes were swimming with unshed tears, and he looked deeply upset.





	Ultimatum

**Author's Note:**

> As always, this is dedicated to my lovely Amber (justmeandmyblg). You're the best ever, dearie! <3

They finished off the episode, and Arin leaned forward to turn off the mics, saving Mario Odyssey before quitting. Dan looked over at him quizzically, his knees curled up to his chest, a blanket around his shoulders.

“We can’t be done already, Ar,” he said, his tone slightly scolding. They didn’t even have to worry about being home early enough to see Suzy; she happened to be away visiting her family in Arizona.

“I totally forgot about that,” Arin said, his voice falling flat in the quiet Grump room.

“About what?” Dan asked, curious.

“That you almost…died.” Arin sat back against the couch, searching for answers in the creases of his sweatpants. 

They’d only just started talking back then, and Dan hadn’t even told him what he was going through until years later, when their friendship had been solidified. Arin, shocked, had embraced Dan tightly, holding him close for far too long, in disbelief that he could’ve lost his best friend…without even knowing why.

Being that young and having to make a will…he couldn’t even imagine it.

There was the sound of fabric rustling, and then Dan’s weight fell against his side. The older man’s big hand crept forward to wrap securely around Arin’s. “I’m sorry that brought up bad memories, Big Cat,” he said softly, his thumb running over the back of Arin’s hand. “I thought about not saying it, but it just kinda…came out, y’know?”

Arin hiccupped over a sob, tilting his head against Dan’s. “No,” he replied shakily, “no, it’s…fine, y’know? It’s your life, and you can talk about it if you want to.”

Dan made a sympathetic noise, and they sat there in silence, cuddling, taking comfort from the fact that they were both here, with each other, and that everything was fine now.

Dan’s scary life situation had mellowed out into manageable conditions that, while sometimes irritating, were in no way life-threatening. It was his body giving him a compromise, one he was all too happy to accept the day he turned thirty and could look ahead with a positive outlook and hopes of longevity. 

Painful stomach problems were a small price to pay to cuddle up to this man, who loved him so much. Whom he loved so much.

Dan snuggled into Arin’s neck, smiling when Arin wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “I love you,” he said softly.

Arin turned and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. “I love you, too.”

Dan tilted his head up and their lips met. Arin’s kiss was salty and ticklish, but tender and loving. Dan cupped Arin’s cheek in his palm, taking charge of the kiss. He wanted to reassure Arin that all was well. That challenge had been conquered, that road well behind him.

“Can I take care of you tonight?” Arin asked, inches from Dan’s lips. His arms wrapped hesitantly around Dan’s waist, pulling him closer. “I…I just need to know you’re here, with me.” His soft brown eyes were swimming with unshed tears, and he looked…deeply upset, as if he’d suffered a fatal wound.

No, best not go there. Dan internally shuddered.

Externally, he smiled a sincere smile, and replied with a tender kiss.

~

Arin was very handsy. 

It wasn’t in any kind of sexy or suggestive sort of way either. He wasn’t trying to arouse or tease Dan. Rather, he seemed to be trying to seek Dan’s heat, Dan’s touch, to feel Dan beside him. He was being clingy, holding Dan’s hand, resting his sweaty hand on Dan’s knee, playing with his hair, sticking fingers in his back pocket. Dan usually didn’t like Arin being so obvious about the fact that they were dating, but he didn’t have the heart to tell Arin to knock it off.

He needed it, too. Arin’s vulnerability scared him far more than he’d like to admit.

They’d stopped at the store to pick up some things for dinner. Dan picked out a package of fudge cookies for dessert.

They hesitated in the baby aisle before Dan decided to just use the fuck-it adjustment and put the bottle Arin had been admiring into the cart.

I mean, he had to admit, it was pretty cute. Pretty and light blue, with a little rocket ship soaring against the side. They’d been talking about the possibility of Dan trying a bottle for a while now, but hadn’t gone through with it. Dan still wasn’t entirely sure he’d like it, but the light behind Arin’s eyes when Dan put it in the cart was totally worth it.

~

“Can I dress you?”

Dan looked over at Arin, blinking curiously. The idea itself was laughable, given their height and Dan’s lanky, very much not a baby body, and Dan had always dressed himself when he wasn’t in littlespace.

Dan shrugged. “I guess.”

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Arin quickly added. “I just figured it might help you get into the right mindset.”

Dan nodded agreeably. “I’m down.” He started to toe off his shoes, but Arin stopped him.

“I’ll do that for you, baby.”

Dan smiled, feeling that familiar rush of affection for his lover and caretaker come bubbling up to the surface, and he made a soft noise that was somewhere between a sigh and a coo. Just the word “baby” said by Arin or Suzy was enough to get him thinking about littlespace these days. He’d had to fight it during Grumps sessions before, but now…

Now, he had permission. Arin was scared, reminded of Dan’s mortality. He wanted to help. He wanted to take care of him.

Arin smiled back and took Dan’s hand, leading him up to the bedroom.

~

Gently, Arin guided Dan to lie down on his back on the bed while he looked through Dan’s drawers for perfect Little clothes. Dan bounced back onto the springs, in his leather jacket and all, staring up at the ceiling.

He couldn’t see Arin from his spot on the bed, and his limbs felt boneless, made weightless by the bed. He could feel himself slowly beginning to drift, listening to Arin softly humming as he shifted the clothes around and opened and closed drawers.

“Hey, buddy,” Arin said softly, coming to stand over by the side of the bed. “How’re ya doin?” He ran his hand from the tip of Dan’s widow’s peak down his skull, and Dan purred like a cat. It felt really good to be touched like this.

“Getting there,” Dan replied, his voice low and quiet. “I’ll probably be in space by the time you finish.”

“Good,” Arin leaned down and kissed Dan’s forehead. “Such a good boy.”

Dan cooed this time. And he wasn’t even embarrassed about it.

~

Arin gently slid Dan out of his clothes. He supported all of Dan’s weight, not letting the older man hold himself up. All the while, Arin was talking to him using the familiar caretaker tone, making Dan’s thoughts fade away, drifting out until he was ready to embrace his littlespace.

Danny stuck his thumb in his mouth, letting his eyes fall closed. He was so sleepy; it was past his beddie-by time. Awin was putting on his pajama pants. They were warm and soft and covered with puppies. So was his shirt. The long sleeves were cozy and felt good against his wrists. He played with the buttons with his free hand, smiling sleepily around his thumb as Awin came back into view.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Awin said fondly, his voice like warm milk.

Oh, that sounded yummy! “Awin?” he asked, taking his thumb out of his mouth so he could make grabby hands at Awin.

“What is it, baby?” Awin bent down to pick him up, and Danny went willingly, holding onto his Awin real tight.

“Can I have warm milky?”

“After you eat your dinner.”

Danny yawned into Awin’s shoulder, closing his eyes. It wasn’t far to the kitchen, but Awin was warm and strong, and he felt safe being carried by his person. “Mmkay.”

Awin tried to put him down on the couch, but he didn’t wanna go. “Baby, I’ve gotta cook dinner.”

“Nuh-uh.” Danny shook his head. “Love you. Wanna stay, Awin.”

“I love you, too,” Awin ran a hand down his back soothingly and kissed into his hair. “But you’re a big boy now, Danny. I can’t hold you and cook at the same time.”

“Why?” Danny whined, sniffling. “Miss you. Wanna be with you.”

Awin bounced him gently, shushing him. “Shh, it’s okay, baby boy. Why don’t I get Steggy to keep you company? Would you like that?”

Danny sat back in Awin’s arms, beaming. “Yeah! Yeah! Want Theggy.”

Awin chuckled, kissing Danny’s nose. “I’m gonna put you down, okay?” Danny nodded, and let himself be lowered to the couch. He immediately found his unicorn blanket (the fancy one from Thoozy) and wrapped himself up in it, sucking on his thumb again. He only uncurled for a moment when Awin brought him Steggy, and smiled as Awin put on Charlie and Lola for him. 

He giggled when Awin blew a funny kiss against his forehead.

~

Arin had to smile, listening to Danny relaxing in the other room. Every so often, he would giggle at the show, or gasp in awe. He was different, being Little at this time of night. He was calmer, less likely to bounce off the walls or get easily excited, and he was clingy. When Arin had come to change the episode for him, he’d grabbed onto his hand, begging him to stay and watch. When Arin declined, he pouted.

Arin decided there wasn’t any reason to enforce the rule about eating at the table. After all, it was just some scrambled eggs. And they were both tired and sleepy. It would be better to cuddle up on the couch, anyway. 

Arin glanced at the grocery bag with the bottle in it before shrugging and opening it up, rinsing it out thoroughly.

“Awin?” Danny asked.

When Arin turned to look, Danny was leaning over the arm of the couch, blanket sitting on top of his head like a hood, some of his long curls sticking to the fabric of the blanket with static. He looked curious and slightly worried.

“Yes, baby?”

“Where’s the yummies?” Danny asked, wetting his lips. “I’m hungy.”

Arin smiled warmly, a giggle bubbling in his chest. He loved Danny’s speech patterns. He and Suzy had asked Dan about it, but Dan had said he really didn’t know.

“I can’t control my speech that well,” he’d said once after giving the question some thought. “I just…say what feels right. Sometimes, it’s eloquent, and sometimes, it’s baby babble.”

“Coming soon,” Arin reassured him. “I’m just getting your bottle, and then I’ll bring it in there.”

Danny gasped, his whole face lighting up. “A baba?” He beamed, clearly excited. “Yay! Now I won’t spill!”

Arin giggled. “Yeah, and you can have your milky.”

Danny giggled, settling down onto the couch again. Arin quickly warmed up the bottle in a pot of water. It contained vitamin D milk, the fattest kind of milk, and Pediasure for extra sweetness and calories. Danny had complained before that the milky “didn’t taste right,” so Arin experimented by putting Pediasure into the mixture. That got the thumbs up from Danny.

Arin had caught Dan drinking it when not in littlespace, but he couldn’t be mad about it. The stuff was full of calories and fat, which was good for the lanky man. That, and it tasted like ice cream.  
After he was finished, Arin brought dinner and the package of cookies into the room. Danny cooed happily and made space for Arin on the couch. He had his thumb in his mouth, the faithful Steggy trapped under one arm. He looked glassy-eyed, face open and innocent. It was adorable.

Arin placed Danny’s plate in his lap, handing him his fork. “Eat up, Danny! You need nutrients to grow up big and strong!”

Danny shook his head. “Want milky.” He pouted, pointing to the table where the bottle sat.

“You can have your milk after you eat real food, baby.” Arin scolded lightly, forking a mouthful of eggs. They were as delicious as ever. The recipe really did seem to improve each time he made it.

Danny butted his head against Arin’s arm. “Feed me, Awin ‘M hungy.” He sat back, parting his lips.

Arin turned to look at him, and oh my. It was usually a sight to see Dan Avidan waiting, his mouth open. Admittedly, it was usually for something else…

But that wasn’t what tonight was about.

Arin shook his head fondly, setting aside his own food. Well, he could always heat it up. Danny wouldn’t touch microwave-heated food. (“That’s probably cause I didn’t have a microwave growing up,” Dan had explained when Suzy’d asked him. “Little me doesn’t trust it.”) 

It was better fresh, anyway.

Arin held out a bite on the fork. He didn’t even have to say “here comes the airplane” because Danny was already leaning forward, biting gently over the fork to pull it into his mouth. 

“Mmm…” Danny hummed in delight, rubbing his tummy with both hands as he rocked back and forth. “So yummy!” As Arin held up the next bite, Danny held up Steggy, making the stuffed dinosaur “eat” the eggs. “Theggy says they’re yummy, too!” He declared, taking the bite off the fork.

“Good.” Arin replied. “Eat as much as you want, okay?” It was fairly late at night, and that was sometimes bad news for Dan’s stomach. But Danny seemed happy so far.

To Arin’s surprise, Danny actually ate all of the eggs, though that seemed to make him even sleepier. As soon as he was finished, Danny slumped against Arin’s side, yawning loudly and rubbing his eyes, pulling the unicorn blanket further over his form and curling up, Steggy close against his chest. 

Arin wrapped his arm around Danny and kissed his forehead. “Was that good, Danny?” He asked in a soft voice. “Is your tummy all warm and happy?” It was littlespace code for “are you felling all right?” Danny was acutely aware of his Big self’s stomach issues, but the terminology wasn’t always there. They were all still getting into the groove of this, but Danny’s actions had never once made Dan sick, so that was a bonus, honestly.

Danny nodded, smiling as he stuck his thumb in his mouth. “So yummy,” he mumbled. “Fluffy, fluffy eggies.”

Arin leaned forward, fetching the bottle. He tested the milk against his wrist, making sure it was still a good temperature, before offering it to Danny. “Did you wanna try your bottle? It’s got warm milky in it.”

Danny nodded, reaching for the bottle with both hands, holding it up to his lips. There seemed to be a bit of confusion, seeing as Danny’s hands were rather large and the bottle was small, but he managed it after a moment, settling in against Arin’s shoulder, suckling quietly on the bottle’s nipple. Arin’s heart swelled; Danny was even making adorable cooing noises around the bottle, just like a real baby.

As Danny got sleepier, Arin changed what was on TV to something he might enjoy. Eventually, Danny had finished most of the bottle; about 400 extra calories added to his meal. Arin took it away from him, since he was mostly asleep by now, and pulled Danny protectively closer.

Danny whimpered at being moved, but settled once in Arin’s lap, nuzzling into the base of Arin’s neck sleepily. Arin kissed the top of Danny’s head and settled in to catch up on Rick and Morty.

~

When Dan woke up, his head was full of fuzz. 

The TV was playing Rick and Morty, and he was relieved that he was mostly out of headspace, because his littlespace would not have appreciated what was currently happening on screen right now.

Dan yawned into Arin’s neck. His mouth tasted like Pediasure and sleep, which was a pretty weird combination all things considered. But he felt refreshed, the same as he always did after transitioning out of headspace. The world always looked brighter after he’d been a child, everything crisp and new, like he was seeing it in high def.

Arin was asleep in what looked to be an uncomfortable position, his head tilted all the way back against the couch. He was snoring softly. Dan smiled fondly, about to lean in to trail kisses along his jaw, but he noticed…

Tear tracks. 

Arin had been crying?

Dan frowned. Poor Arin. Maybe the caretaking hadn’t been enough to really reassure him. The older man comfortingly wrapped his arms around his lover, hoping to communicate that, yes, he really was here and everything was okay.

Arin’s body began to shake, and then he bolted upright with a start, breathing heavily. “Dan,” he breathed in relief, wrapping his arms tightly around the skinny man curled into his lap. “Danny. Oh my God. You’re here. You’re safe, baby. Thank God.” He nuzzled into Dan’s neck, his beard tickling the sensitive parts of Dan’s neck.

“Yeah,” Dan said, running his fingers through Arin’s soft hair, “I’m right here, Big Cat. It’s okay.” He kissed the side of Arin’s head as Arin began to sob. “Shh. It’s all right.”

“I...I…” Arin whimpered, unable to speak as his voice shook. He started to cry in earnest, and Dan held onto him, nuzzling him and kissing him, whispering soothing platitudes using the sweetest nicknames he had. After what felt like an hour, Arin was finally coherent, breathing wetly against Dan’s shoulder. Dan himself was beginning to overheat in the flannel long-sleeve top, but he wasn’t near a fainting spell yet, so it was fine. He could wait for Arin to come back. 

“S-sorry,” Arin mumbled. “I should’ve made sure you were fully back before I—”

“Shh,” Dan kissed Arin’s temple. “It’s okay. I came back just fine on my own.” He smiled at his love. “I never worry about going under with you. You always make me feel so safe that I can come back no problem.”

Arin sniffled, which sounded gross, frankly, and surged forward, slotting them together, kissing him wildly, passionately, like he sometimes did when Dan had been away, touring or visiting New Jersey. Dan let him lead, as he often did in these times, letting Arin speak without speaking.

When Arin pulled back, he sighed, still resolutely holding onto Dan. “You’re turning pink,” he said. “Putting you in flannel and giving you hot milk was not a good idea.”

Dan giggled, running his fingertips along Arin’s cheek. “I’m good for a minute. Are you okay?” His smile turned sad. “You had a nightmare, didn’t you?”

Arin nodded. “I…I was there…Dan, it was so real…! You were lying there, cold and alone, and I wasn’t…” A tear fell from Arin’s warm brown eyes, and Dan used his thumb to wipe it away. “I didn’t want you to go, Dan.” Arin’s voice was pleading and vulnerable. 

Dan leaned forward and chastely kissed his lips. “I’m not going anywhere for a long-ass time, baby girl, believe me.” He smiled, tucking a lock of Arin’s hair behind his ear. “I’ll be right here. I promise.”

Arin nodded, smiling genuinely for the first time out of scene. “Thanks, Dan. I needed that.”

“Of course,” Dan smiled. “Anything for you.”

“Well,” Arin said, grunting as he scooted to the edge of the couch, “time to get the milk-heavy baby off to bed!”

Dan laughed into Arin’s shoulder. “Oh, my God, Arin.”

“Oof, so heavy…” Arin exaggerated with a grunt as he began to head up the stairs.

“You know…I can walk…”

“Yeah, but I like carrying you,” Arin whined.

Dan snorted. “Weirdo.”

They wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> Dan kinda dropped the "I almost died" bomb in Mario Odyssey and it gave me Feelings, so I thought I'd deal with them in a healthy way: writing fluffy fanfiction.
> 
> So...yeah! Here ya go!


End file.
